Hide & Seek
by Onesimus42
Summary: A little game of hide and seek for a certain brooch. Extreme fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a fun, fluffy fic following "The Last Will & Testament" and "A Story of a Brooch". Batwings79 suggested it, and the plot bunny has been hopping across my path ever since. Hopefully, I can do it justice.**

**Prologue**

Charles Carson was going to die. He knew this because Elsie Hughes was going to kill him. He was going to die an extremely happy man, however. It had been three days and more importantly was now the third night since they'd declared their love for each other and he'd given her the luckenbooth. 'Things' had grown progressively more heated since the first night, and he found that he was more preoccupied with his thoughts than he had been since he was a randy seventeen year old. Trying to detach himself a little, he realized that he could go approximately five minutes without thinking at least fleetingly of Elsie in some compromising position. There probably wasn't a spot in the house that hadn't played into either his fantasies or dreams these past three days and two nights: his desk, the staff table, the wall of his pantry, the sofa in Elsie's parlor, the drawing room sofa, the back stairs, and the dining room table. If a conclusion wasn't reached soon, he was either going to die from his extreme need or from utter mortification. Elsie had started all this three mornings ago, but he was now determined that he was going to finish it. He'd never backed down from a challenge before, and he certainly wasn't going to start now.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsie had come down to breakfast the morning after he gave her the luckenbooth with a small smile on her face. He had looked at her and smiled thinking how lucky he was to be able to take care of this beautiful woman; stupid man that he was he'd not realized at the time that she'd already formed her devious plan. His porridge had been eaten without him tasting a bite as he had two questions on his mind, was she wearing it and where? He took her aside quickly after their breakfast to satisfy his curiosity.

"Are you wearing it?" he leaned down to speak quietly next to her ear.

Looking at him indignantly, she said, "Of course I am, I said I would."

Smiling, pleased at the thought, he asked, "Where?"

She'd merely glanced at him sideways with the smallest of smiles and moved off. He'd thought she might be a little shy. In retrospect, he realized how incredibly stupid that was; Elise Hughes shy! Maybe his mother had been right, and the fairies had stolen his brains. He'd spent the rest of the morning wondering just where the brooch might be. As he imagined the places it could be, he found himself thinking about seeing it and touching it in those places. Finding her alone again just before luncheon, he tried to get some more information.

"Is it inside or outside?" he asked.

Deliberately obtuse, she asked, "What?"

"The luckenbooth!" he whispered fiercely.

She teased, "Inside or outside what?"

"Your dress, woman," he clarified, exasperated.

Smiling wickedly, she said, "Oh. Inside, Charles, definitely inside."

He'd closed his eyes at the thought, and she took the opportunity to escape him into the staff hall for luncheon.

During their luncheon, a plan began to form in Charles' mind. The more he thought of it, the better he thought it was. Yes; it was an excellent plan, and he was sure that it would make for an enjoyable evening for both of them. Contriving to get her into his pantry after their meal, he closed the door quickly behind her and placing one hand on the wall beside her head, leaned over her.

"Elsie, as butler of Downton Abbey, one of my chief responsibilities is the silver of the house, _all_ the silver. I believe that tonight, I should probably inspect that little bit of silver that you have under your dress. I certainly wouldn't want it to come to any harm," he finished with a grin.

She merely smiled at him wryly, pulled his watch from his waistcoat pocket to look at it and said, "And it only took you eight hours to catch on."

His mouth gaped. She'd been planning on that all along! Staring at her, he had to give her a nod. She had definitely won round one.

He didn't really mind, because he was anxiously looking forward to finding the luckenbooth that night. He was certainly grateful that it was just the family to dine. His mind was definitely occupied with other things during dinner, but thankfully he had been doing this long enough that his mind did not always have to be completely on his work. He did find himself glancing over frequently at Elsie during their dinner, feeling a new level of appreciation for her deviousness.

He managed to be patient until most of the children went off to bed, sitting quietly in his pantry working on accounts. When the servants' hall seemed to be reasonably quiet, he came out to check and saw only Anna and Mr. Bates still up. Not wanting to have to outlast them and knowing they would be the least likely to gossip, he made his way quietly to Elsie. Knocking softly on her door, he listened for her quiet invitation to enter. Stepping into the room, he was a little surprised when Elsie brushed past him to lock the door. Turning to her, he gathered her into his arms, kissing her forehead gently.

"Hello, Elsie," he whispered against her forehead.

Tilting her head to brush his lips with her own, she replied, "Hello, Charles."

He bent down to deepen the kiss just a little and drew her closer to him. She responded by gripping his shoulders tighter, then wrapping her arms around his neck. He broke the kiss and nibbled his way lightly down her jaw.

"I've been a little pre-occupied today," he admitted.

"With us?" she asked smiling as she tilted her head to the side.

"With this," he replied as he nuzzled the skin behind her ear.

"Mmmmm. Good," she sighed.

Smile in his voice, he asked, "Good that I was pre-occupied or that felt good?"

"Both," she answered decisively, "Stop talking Charles."

Complying, he bent to kiss her again and slowly pulled away when he found that he needed to catch his breath. Seeing her brow furrow in the slightest of frowns, he chuckled.

"Elsie, dear, I don't want to stop. I just want to pause to get a little more comfortable," he said tugging at his collar.

She smiled and lifted her hands to unravel his tie. Once she'd helped him divest himself of everything except shirt, trousers and shoes, they moved to the sofa. Pulling her to him when they'd sat down, he asked, "Wouldn't you like to get a little more comfortable as well?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I would like to take my shoes off," she replied smiling.

That wasn't quite what he was thinking of, but he supposed he should have been more specific.

"Would you like to help?" she asked.

Smiling, he moved so that he could pull her foot into his lap and gently removed her shoe, placing it on the floor. Holding her foot lightly in his hand he massaged it with his thumbs. He thought it was rather a nice foot, even clad in thick black stockings. It was tiny, almost half the size of his own. Looking down at his foot on the floor, it was hard to imagine they were even the same body part.

Clearing her throat to get his attention, she said, "I think I'd like my stockings off too."

Mouth suddenly dry, he felt the urge to reach his hand toward his throat to check for his collar. He thought he remembered removing it, but something certainly seemed to be choking him.

Looking up into her eyes, he saw her small smile and decided that he was definitely not going to let her win round two.

Trailing his hands over her ankles and along her legs under her dress to the top of her stocking; he slid his thumbs under the edge of her stocking. Smoothing her stocking down he brushed her leg with the tips of his fingers on the way down. Watching her eyes, he saw her lids droop and the small sigh of pleasure escape her lips. Smiling inwardly, _"Round two to Charles Carson,"_ he thought with glee.

"Satisfied?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Not quite," she answered, "I do have another leg, you know."

"Greedy woman," he grinned and lifted her other foot to his lap to repeat the process.

When he was finished he lifted her feet off his lap so that he could lean over her for a deep kiss. Settling beside her once more, he drew her against his chest and said, "Now, love, I believe there was the matter of a little piece of silver that I needed to check."

Lightly tracing the hand that held her waist with her own, she grinned wickedly, "Well, I've been waiting."

His hand moved from her waist to her throat and began to work at the buttons there while he lightly kissed her temple. As he released each button he traced her neck with his fingers until he'd worked his way to her collarbone. Sliding his hand under her dress to caress the upper part of her left chest, he pulled his hand back suddenly, "Ow! I've been bit!"

Grasping his hand and kissing the small scratch on the back of his middle finger, she laughed, "No, I think you just found the luckenbooth."

"Oh," he said, a little disappointed to have found it so soon, "May I see it?"

In answer, she unbuttoned her dress just a little more so that she could fold the left side down. Turning her to face him, he saw the luckenbooth lying over the swell of her breast. Leaning down he kissed the top of her breast, sucking the skin there lightly. Pulling back, he saw the slight flush on her chest, "It looks to be in fine condition to me."

She leaned against him again and lifting his hand to her lips she whispered against his palm, "Tomorrow, I'll hide it a little better."

Mouth dry again, he thought, _"Maybe round two was a tie."_

**_Any reviews are greatly appreciated_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hopefully, this is as enjoyable. I have a harder time with Elsie's POV than with Charles for some reason.**

Elsie took a deep breath before going downstairs for breakfast. It had now been two days since Charles had given her the luckenbooth, and they had spent two nights in the most delightful physical contact she'd had in years. She had to admit to herself that she was rather impressed with his kissing skills, especially since he was as out of practice as she was. At least, she thought he probably was as out of practice as she was. She might have to make some discreet inquiries about his activities in London each season.

She was still a little surprised at the amount of desire that she seemed to inspire in him. That he loved her was not too fanciful to her, but that he wanted her still amazed her. She was after all old enough to have grown children and even grandchildren. Some of the women she'd grown up with did have grandchildren, not grandbabies, but grandchildren. Even Joe had a boy old enough to be in the army now, and she supposed she would have too if she'd married him. There was no mistaking the look in Charles' eyes last night, however, when he'd unbuttoned her… Catching herself she realized that she probably shouldn't be thinking about that just before entering the staff hall and sitting beside the man. She was going to have a hard enough time keeping her composure as it was.

Taking another deep breath, she entered the hall. She was a little relieved that Charles wasn't there yet, until she heard his deep rumbling voice from behind her.

"Good morning Mrs. Hughes," he said and then, "Good morning all"

He surprised her enough that she was ashamed to admit that she started just a little.

Waiting until she reached her seat so that her voice wouldn't falter, she answered, "Good morning Mr. Carson," glancing up at him. Goodness, he was tall! How was it she'd never really noticed that before? She realized that he was waiting for her to sit down before he did himself, so she seated herself quickly noticing his small smile. Insufferable man! He probably thought he knew exactly what she was thinking. Judging from that smile, he probably wasn't too far off. She gave him a half-smile of her own just to throw him off balance a little. It gratified her to see him look quickly down at his bowl.

During breakfast, she found herself reviewing the events of the past two days and nights in her mind. 'Things' were moving along at a fairly rapid rate. If he'd only asked, or even offered, she likely would have done anything he wanted last night. She'd never been quite this wanton before. It was all a little overwhelming. She supposed perhaps it might be that it had been so very long since she'd felt loved and desired, especially desired. Joe Burns had wanted to marry her more for companionship than anything else, even the first time he asked. Any woman who was reasonably pleasant and a hard worker would have made him happy and did, obviously. Charles had told her, and she believed him, that she was the only woman he wanted. To think that she was wanted that much was very uplifting for her ego. Perhaps it was that boost that he gave her ego that made her want him very much as well. Whatever it was, she found it very difficult to think of other things, especially when she was this close to him.

Glancing over, she saw his hand. It was a very nice hand really, except for that very angry scratch on his middle finger. Remembering how he got that scratch caused her to blush slightly, but she knew she should probably take care of it. "Mr. Carson, that's a nasty looking scratch you have there, you should probably let me see to it after breakfast."

Looking at her a little suspiciously, he said, "Oh, it's fine, Mrs. Hughes, nothing really."

William felt the need to pipe in as well, "That is a pretty bad looking scratch, Mr. Carson. How'd you get it?"

Elsie had to bite back her smile as Charles obviously clenched his jaw before answering, "I scratched it on a piece of silver."

"Well, you should make sure it's looked after, you certainly wouldn't want to get an infection," William replied.

"Thank you, William. Finish your breakfast," Charles ground out then glanced sideways at Elsie with a grim look. She looked back at him with the most innocent look she could manage, and more importantly without laughing.

Charles came into her parlor after serving breakfast upstairs. "Thank you for that incredibly uncomfortable moment, Elsie."

She couldn't help smiling at him, "Charles, I am sorry. I certainly didn't mean to draw attention to you, but it does look bad. I am the one who looks after all these minor injuries though, and I certainly wouldn't want you to lose any part of that hand."

Sitting down in the chair she indicated, he raised his eyebrows at her appreciatively, "Oh, and why would that be?"

Smiling as she brought her box of bandages and antiseptic to the table, she said, "Well, I'm rather fond of your hands."

"Just my hands?" he asked with a smirk.

Taking his hand in hers and finding her attention drawn to his lips for a moment, she said, "No, other parts of you are nice too."

Positively grinning now, he asked, "What parts?"

Looking down at his hand while she cleaned the scratch, she said primly, "We should probably discuss that later."

Charles' didn't respond right away so she glanced up at him. He'd shut his eyes and seemed to be deep in thought. After a pause he asked, "Lavender and lemon?"

"Beg pardon?"

"You smell like lavender and lemon," he replied.

Blushing slightly, she replied, "The lavender keeps moths away and I wash my hair with lemon juice in warm water."

"Ahh," he said, then looking down at his freshly bandaged finger, "Thank you. I'll see you tonight?"

"I hope so."

"You are wearing it, aren't you?" he asked smiling.

She nodded, smirking just a little, "In a slightly different place."

"Good," he said firmly and then, "I probably should go." Making no move to remove his hand from hers.

"Yes; you probably should," she replied continuing to hold his hand.

Pulling his hand away slowly, he rose and said, "Until tonight, then."

Nodding, she put her bandages and antiseptic away.

For some reason, that day seemed like one of the longest she'd ever known. There were a thousand tiny nuisances from another argument with Mrs. Patmore to a housemaid twisting her ankle stepping wrong off a step-ladder. Her meeting with Lady Grantham didn't even go as smoothly as usual due to the presence of Lady Violet, and her need to criticize nearly every decision her ladyship made. By the time she was able to sit down in her parlor at the end of that very long day, she was exhausted and frazzled. None of this was helped by the fact that she found herself with an acute knowledge of exactly where Charles was at any given moment.

As she was trying to decide whether she should be comforted or troubled by this new-found awareness of his whereabouts, the door to her parlor opened and shut quietly, and she felt his presence in the room. Walking over to the sofa, he sat down beside her without waiting for an invitation and, placing his arm around her shoulders, pulled her tight against him. Kissing her temple, he said, "You've had a rough day."

She smiled, turning toward him just a little, "Yes, but I believe it's going to get a little better."

"Well, that depends," he replied putting his other arm around her to draw her closer.

Looking at him carefully, she asked, "On what?"

"On whether you'll tell me what parts you're fond of," he grinned.

His grin faded when she gave him a grim, questioning look, and he realized that he might have over-stepped just a little.

"Now, Elsie, you're the one who brought it up," he added quickly to placate her.

She rolled her eyes at him quickly and said, "That doesn't mean you should remind me."

"Would it help if I told you I was fond of some of your parts as well?" he asked in a further attempt to placate her anger.

"Which parts?" she asked, anger replaced by curiosity.

"Well, your feet are rather nice," he said glancing down at her stocking clad appendages, "although I see you've already taken your shoes off tonight, but I'd be happy to take care of your stockings if you'd like."

She nodded, smiling now, anger fully placated. He repeated his actions from the previous night, and Elsie decided her night was going to get much better indeed.

He leaned over her for a not too gentle kiss and asked, "Now, will you humor my ego just a little?"

She smiled and tugged at his tie, "Well I like your neck, but it is a little confined at the moment."

He raised his hands to remove tie and collar, but she pushed them gently away to work them loose herself. Once his neck was free, she bent to kiss the angle between neck and shoulder for several delightful moments.

Smiling, she asked, "Ego humored?"

"Mmhm, definitely," he murmured as he drew her lips to his for another kiss.

Between kisses, she asked, "Do you think that you should inspect that little piece of silver tonight?"

Eyes brightening considerably, he lifted his hands to unbutton the neck of her dress. "I'm not going to get bitten tonight am I?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

"Not if you watch what you're doing."

He very cautiously unbuttoned her dress and certainly didn't slip any fingers under the edge. As the hollow of her neck was revealed, he nuzzled her there. Continuing, he noticed that she had a small red mark on the swell of her left breast. "Did it bite you too?"

Looking down, she laughed, "No, Charles, you did. Don't you remember?"

"Ohh!" he said sounding unreasonably proud.

After he had her dress unbuttoned to just below her breasts, carefully folding it back as he searched for the luckenbooth, he said "Ah ha! There it is!" and promptly removed it from its position pinned to the inside left of her dress just below her breast.

He leaned back, bouncing it on his palm. Looking over at her speculatively, he said, "Women wear far too many undergarments."

Privately, she agreed just a little, but she blushed at his implication. Looking at him curiously, she asked, "Don't you wear an undershirt?"

He held his arms wide in silent invitation, and she decided that there was no way she was going to back down from this challenge. Leaning toward him, she began to work loose the buttons on his shirt. When she'd undone the first three, she clicked her tongue at him, "You old tease! You do have an undershirt on."

"I never said I didn't. Are you disappointed?" he asked smile widening.

Blushing, she decided to change the subject," You have a nice voice, too. Must have come from all that singing."

"You know better than to remind me of the 'years of stupidity'," he said with mock sternness, "Do you think that was all I did in the dance halls?"

"Well, no, I rather assumed you danced as well."

Laughing, he nodded, "That too. I also did a few magic tricks," he said looking suspiciously smug.

Watching him carefully, she asked, "Really? What kind of magic tricks?"

"Oh; just sleight of hand. Making things disappear and appear, that sort of thing. Take this brooch for instance."

Holding his hands out he let her see it in his right hand, and then with a flourish plucked it from behind her ear with his left hand.

Smiling, she said, "Very good, but I thought you said you could make things disappear."

"Oh, I can. It's all about the distraction," leaning forward he kissed her pushing her back against the cushions gently. Then standing, he said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight? What about the luckenbooth?"

"You have it," he said with a half smile.

"I have it?" and then feeling something between her…, inside her corset! "Charles Carson!"

He laughed and gave her the slightest of bows. Smiling, she had to give him a nod. He'd definitely won round three.

_**As always any reviews are appreciated. **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's day three and almost caught up to the prologue. Hopefully no one will suffocate in the fluff from this fic. Just a warning, the rating may go up with the next chapter as I'm thinking there might have to be just a **_**wee**_** bit of M-ness.**

Walking down to breakfast the next morning, Charles was feeling very confident and just a tad bit proud of himself. He was proud that he'd managed to surprise Elsie last night which was a very rare occurrence indeed. The best part of that little trick had been the distraction. That his kiss had apparently distracted her enough that she had not felt him slip the brooch between her breasts was what had him feeling so confident today. He had to admit that he was surprised and honored that she loved him, but he was absolutely flabbergasted that she desired him. She evidently saw a slightly different Charles Carson than he did when he looked in the mirror. He was not, however, going to question his good luck but take full advantage of it.

Thinking back to how Elsie had looked at him when she'd removed his tie and collar, he realized what a very lucky man he was. Then, taking a deep breath before he entered the servant's hall, he decided that he shouldn't dwell on those thoughts just before he had to sit beside her at the table. He was going to have a hard enough time maintaining his composure as it was. Entering the hall, he was a little disappointed to see that Elsie was not already there, until he heard her behind him.

"Good morning, Mr. Carson," she said, then, "Good morning all."

Turning, he let his eyes trail discreetly down her body, thinking of where the brooch had been last night and wondering where it might be today. He could also very clearly remember that red mark on the swell of her very white breast and found himself flustered at the thought. Realizing that he'd neglected to answer, he quickly said, "Good morning, Mrs. Hughes. Shall we eat?" pulling out her chair for her.

They ate their breakfast in companionable silence, listening to the bantering and bickering of the rest of the staff. Charles glanced over at her and saw that she was looking at him. He smiled at her questioningly wondering what she was thinking, and she smiled back in a knowing way that had him looking away quickly. He caught site of the scratch on his finger that now looked much better and tried to decide whether he could safely use it as an excuse to visit her parlor one more time.

Then Mr. Bates commented with a tiny half smile, "That scratch is looking a lot better, Mr. Carson. You should still have it looked at again, though. You wouldn't want infection to set in late."

Mentally Charles blessed the man and berated himself for ever thinking that he was anything but the finest valet he'd ever known, "Thank you for your assessment, Mr. Bates. I may have to presume on Mrs. Hughes' kindness one more time."

Glancing over at Elsie, he thought her smile was almost as smug as his own likely was.

Walking into her parlor mid-morning, he shut the door behind him and turned toward her smiling.

"God bless Mr. Bates," she said as she took his hand to look at the scratch.

"Amen," he agreed as he sat down in the chair beside the door.

Holding his hand in hers, she gently cleaned and bandaged the scratch again while he used the excuse to stare at her neck and daydream about the kisses he could place there.

He cleared his throat as she was finishing and said, "Actually, I have another small injury for you to look at."

Examining his right hand and then picking up his left to do the same, she asked, "Did it bite you again? I must say that it would serve you right after that trick you pulled. My corset, Charles! For heaven's sake."

He grinned broadly, still incredibly proud of himself for that little bit of sleight of hand and pulled his hand from hers so that he could turn and click the lock on the door.

She watched him quizzically while he released the knot on his tie and unbuttoned his collar. "_It_ didn't bite me, but someone else apparently did," he said as he showed her the purple mark on the side of his neck.

Looking at it fascinated and a little proud, she traced it with the tip of a finger, "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I have something tight on it," he said grimly, "like my collar and tie."

Drawing his collar together to button it, she said, "I'm sorry. Next time I'll have to go lower, I suppose."

His jaw slackened enough that she had to push it up gently with her hand so that she could finish buttoning his collar.

He continued to stare at her appreciatively while she tied his tie. When she finished and looked into his eyes, he gripped the back of her thigh and drew her to him kissing her softly while tracing her thigh with his hand.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pushed herself away gently and asked, "I'll see you tonight?"

"Nothing could keep me away," he replied seriously and then after leaning forward for another soft kiss, stood to leave the room.

He'd unlocked the door and was about to open it, when she said quietly, "Charles, it's still inside my corset."

He was ashamed to say he actually groaned and gripped the door knob so tight he thought he'd break it off. "_Round four to Elsie Hughes,_" he thought grimly.

The thought of the brooch inside her corset, and that he was going to be able to see it there dominated his mind for the rest of the day. He actually decided that he should probably avoid seeing her as much as possible just so that he could maintain some modicum of composure. He even ate a sandwich in his pantry instead of coming to luncheon. She had done that most deliberately and unfortunately very early in the day. As he was enduring this frustration, his competitive spirit was aroused amongst other things. Sitting at his desk after luncheon, he decided that he was definitely not going to take this lying down, and then groaned at the image that came to mind of Elsie on her sofa. That was certainly the wrong choice of words. All right, he decided he wasn't going to stand for this and then imagined himself pressing her against the wall of his pantry. He groaned again and decided that he needed to take a walk.

Fortunately and unfortunately, the family was dining away from home that night. It was fortunate in that Charles didn't have to prepare for a formal dinner, and the servants were able to have their meal a little earlier. It was unfortunate in that the younger members of staff always seemed to look at these nights as a kind of holiday and would stay up later than usual in the hall. From his pantry, he could hear William playing the piano while the others laughed, and he knew it was going to be a very long time before he could go to Elsie. Grimly determined to keep his mind on other things, he started to work on some accounts. As he was working, he decided on one thing; this was going to have to end tonight, or he would most certainly die from want.

_**Reviews are appreciated and feed my addiction.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry to be a tease, but there's no M-ness in this chapter. Next chapter definitely though.**

Elsie was disappointed when she heard the last of the children go up the stairs and there was still no appearance by Charles. In truth, she was frustrated because she'd not seen him since this morning. She was a little worried that she'd gone too far in their little game. Maybe she shouldn't have been so forward, but he had been the one to put it _there_ in the first place. With his comment last night about women wearing too many undergarments and his little magic trick, she thought that he was ready and eager to see her without some of those undergarments. Heaven knew she was ready. She was a little embarrassed at just how eager she was.

She decided that she was just going to have to go find him. If he'd already gone to bed himself, well, she'd be incredibly disappointed, but at least then she'd know how he felt. If she did find him, then she'd apologize for her forwardness and maybe they could begin again. Walking out of her parlor, she was gratified to see that the kitchen and servant's hall were empty and dark. Her butler's door was closed, but she could see light spilling under the door, so she knew he had to be there. Knocking quickly, she took his answering grunt as permission to enter.

He looked up from the ledgers with eyes reddened from looking at tiny rows of figures by candlelight. Sighing, she took in his slumped shoulders and tired eyes and asked, "Charles, have you been working on those books all night?"

He quickly marked his place with the ruler and shut the ledger, leaning back in his chair to rub his eyes, "Well, what else could I have been doing?"

"_Ripping my clothes off,"_ she thought but said, "Well, I'd rather hoped you were going to come to my parlor again tonight."

He smiled, "I was still planning on it. I just wanted everyone else to be in bed."

Relieved, she walked around his desk and leaned back against it next to his knees, "Everyone else has been in bed for almost half an hour," she said with a smile.

Still leaning back in his chair, he looked at her with hooded eyes and rubbed the outside of her leg with his knee, "That's good."

"It's good that everyone is in bed or my leg is good?" she smirked.

"Both," he answered decisively, making no move to rise and continuing to rub her leg.

Biting the inside of her jaw, she knew she had to ask him the question that had been on her mind all day, "Charles, are we-, do you think we're going too fast?"

Any lingering doubts she had about his feelings for her were answered by his look of utter disappointment as he opened his eyes wide and sat up straight, "What makes you ask that?"

"After I didn't see you all day, I was afraid that you might have thought I was too forward."

He snorted, "Well, you might have made that comment a little closer to the time I'd be able to do something about it."

"What were you planning on doing about it?" she challenged.

"That, my dear, is why I've been avoiding seeing you all day. I've been having thoughts."

"Thoughts?"

"Well, one thought actually in different locations and situations," he smiled wolfishly and placed his hand just inside her knee.

Distracted now by the slow circles he was making on her knee, she said, "I'm still not sure I follow."

Standing, he boosted her so that she was sitting on his desk and he left his hands beside her hips. Leaning forward so that his lips were inches from hers he said, "I thought about doing this, here, with you sitting on my desk," and he kissed her, lightly tracing her lips with his tongue. Her hands quickly went around his waist under his jacket to caress his back. Breaking the kiss after several moments, he worked his way to the skin behind her left ear and kissed her softly there.

"I've thought about it here, that wall there, the staff table, the back stairs, the dining room table, the drawing room sofa, and even one of the lofts in the stables when I went for a walk this afternoon to try to avoid thinking about it."

A little breathless at his confession, she turned her head to capture his lips for another kiss, then punctuating her words with kisses, she said, "Well, here I'm afraid we'll upset your ink bottle. On that wall, my head might bang the light. On the staff table, I'm afraid I'd never be able to eat another meal there again. The back stairs are a possibility, but what if someone comes down for a midnight snack?" here she leaned toward him for a prolonged kiss, "And the dining room table, well, do you think even you could serve a meal there with a straight face? Haylofts are itchy, dusty, and smelly, and it seems like a lot of trouble to go all the way upstairs to the drawing room when my comfortable sofa is just a short walk away."

"Ahhhh!" he said with satisfaction after pulling away from a prolonged kiss, "I can love you for your body and your mind. You are very practical, woman."

She smiled against his lips and began to trace lazy circles on his back. Leaning against her again, he tilted her head back so that he could kiss her throat. Once she'd enjoyed his attentions there, she brought her head down so she could lean forward to kiss him again. She actually found that she liked sitting here with him standing in front of her. She was the same height sitting on his desk as he was standing. It was wonderful to not have to stretch up to kiss him or wait for him to bend down to bring his lips to hers. Placing soft kisses along his jaw, she worked her way to the area behind his ear to see if it was a distracting for him as it was for her. Apparently not, since he pulled his head back and turned to her lips so that he could kiss her again, pressing a little tighter against her knees.

His hands traced their way up her back to her sides and she felt him run his hands quicker along her back and around to her abdomen and under her breasts. When he pulled back from the kiss and looked at her questioningly, she knew he'd noticed. "Elsie; is something missing?" he asked cautiously.

She blushed just a little, not quite able to meet his eyes, "You did say you thought women wore too many undergarments, and I was anticipating your coming to my parlor tonight."

His eyes widened considerably and he swallowed quickly. Standing up straight, he said in a slightly strangled voice, "We should probably go there, to your sofa, I mean your parlor now."

She smiled at his slip and held her hand out for him to help her off the desk. When she was down and had taken a couple of steps toward the door, he wrapped his arm around her, drew her back against his chest, and cupped her breast in his hand. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, he said, "You definitely won round five."

_**As always reviews are welcome. **_


	6. Chapter 6

Charles followed Elsie to her parlor and while he enjoyed the view immensely, he managed to maintain his self-control long enough that he didn't embrace her again until they were through the door. Walking through behind her, he pushed her gently into the room and shut the door, turning the key in the lock without turning around while he turned her toward him with his other arm. Placing his hand on her bottom to draw her tight against him, he kissed her with the pent up passion of the past three days and nights. She pressed herself even closer, and he found himself pushed against the door with something poking him painfully in the back of his thigh. He shifted uncomfortably, and Elsie pulled away slightly looking at him questioningly. "The doorknob," he explained, "It's poking me in the leg. Maybe we should move toward…"

"The sofa," she agreed.

He nodded and bent to kiss her again while he backed her slowly toward the sofa, placing soft kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and her neck but always returning to her lips. Suddenly, she clutched at his shirt and gave a small cry of surprise as she started to fall. Thankfully, he was able to catch her and draw her tight against him before she hit the floor. Looking down, he saw she had tripped over the carpet.

"Are you alright?" he asked noticing that she was breathing harder. Then he noticed exactly what part of her he'd drawn tight against what part of him, and he started breathing a little harder himself.

Taking in her dilated eyes and the slight flush on her neck, he said, "The sofa."

She nodded her agreement, and they moved a little more quickly toward the sofa with him keeping an eye out for more obstacles.

When her legs bumped the sofa, impeding their progress, he pulled back so that he could work at the buttons of her dress. He was halfway down the front of her dress when he realized that she already had his tie and collar off and waistcoat undone. He leaned back to smile at her appreciatively, "You've got quick hands." and he removed his waistcoat and jacket in one motion and threw them in the general direction of her armchair.

She smiled as she began to work on the buttons of his shirt, "Maybe you could teach me some magic."

He laughed against her temple as he placed soft kisses there, "I have to keep the upper hand in something. You've bested me in everything else these past few days."

Pulling back to look at him half-seriously, she asked, "Does it really bother you when I win our little games?"

"Elsie, I have the most beautiful woman I've ever known standing in front of me with her dress half undone and no corset, unbuttoning my shirt at full speed. From where I'm standing I think I won the grand prize."

Growing a little more serious, she looked at him carefully, "Charles, you've not seen me without my clothes. You might not think I'm so beautiful."

"Why don't we get your clothes off and let me be the judge," he suggested gently, pulling the neck of her dress apart so that he could nuzzle the hollow of her throat and then working on the buttons of her dress once more. She nodded and began on his shirt with renewed vigor.

Once he had her dress unbuttoned to her waist, he pushed it off her shoulders. His breath caught raggedly at the sight of her in only her shift, the luckenbooth pinned over her left breast. He saw Elsie pull back from her efforts on his shirt to watch him staring at her hungrily. Hopefully, she would never doubt that he found her beautiful again. Bending down he placed a soft kiss above the luckenbooth and sucked the skin lightly, noticing that the other red mark had faded to a light pink.

Straightening, he realized that Elsie was finished with his shirt and wanted to push it off his shoulders. He let her and found that his arms were trapped behind his back. Laughing, he said, "The cuffs, Elsie, you've got to undo the cuffs."

She made a motion toward his cuffs, and then stopped, smiling at him wickedly enough to frighten him just a little. Standing on tiptoe, she pulled the neck of his undershirt down and began to suck gently at the skin over his collarbone. A shiver ran through him, and he bent forward to give her better access, shrugging his shirt back up. Wrapping his arms around her to draw her closer, he undid his own cuffs as she was obviously not to be trusted. Once he had his shirt off, he tossed it somewhere near his other clothes.

When she'd finished, he was sure he'd have another mark there tomorrow, lower as she'd promised. Placing his hand on her cheek, he drew her to him so that he could explore her mouth more thoroughly. She drew back after a few moments, and he rested his lips on her forehead kissing her gently there. "You need to take your stockings off," he reminded her, "Sit down and I'll take care of them."

Complying, she sat on the sofa and he sat beside her lifting her foot into his lap so that he could remove her shoe and then her stocking. When he slid his fingers to the top of her stocking, he let the tips of his fingers stray just a little higher to brush the top of her thigh. She gasped, and he smiled as he smoothed her stocking down her leg. Repeating his actions with her other leg, he was pleased at her quick, short breaths.

Leaning forward to kiss her, he grasped the edge of her shift. She pushed his hands away gently and grasped his undershirt to pull it over his head. The tips of her fingers trailed over his ribs as she pulled it off, and he closed his eyes against the sensation. Once she'd placed a few kisses on his chest, she bent to remove his shoes and socks, caressing the backs of his knees. Her hands went to his trousers, but he stopped her. Standing, he took his trousers off and thought this time he might have thrown them far enough to actually reach the armchair. Sitting back down and leaning over her, he mouthed her breast through her shift and then grasped the edge again, looking at her questioningly. She nodded. Grasping the edge, he drew it over her head and tossed it to join their other clothes. He groaned at the sight of her bare breasts and leaned forward to kiss them, but she sat up, "Charles, I think the luckenbooth fell off my shift."

"We'll find it later," he said, voice muffled by her breasts.

"Charles," she pleaded.

Looking up at her, he sighed, "It'll distract you, won't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

Standing resignedly, he went in search of the luckenbooth and found it.

"Owww!" he cried out as he hopped on one foot back to the couch, "I stepped on the blasted thing."

"Did you hurt it?"

"Yes; I think it's bleeding," he said as he sat down, examining the bottom of his foot.

"I meant the luckenbooth," she said as she leaned forward to pull it out of the bottom of his foot.

He looked at her a little exasperated, "Don't you care about my foot?"

"Of course I do," she answered, "Do you want me to bandage it?"

By this time, he was distracted again by the sight of her bare breasts, "No, you can take care of it after."

"But, Charles," she whispered.

"After," he said firmly as he pressed her back against the cushions, plucking the luckenbooth from her hand. He pinned it to the top of the back of the sofa. "It won't do any more harm there," he said grimly.

Bending back over her, he first nuzzled her neck while she gripped his shoulders to pull him tight against her. Shifting down a little, he went back to his initial target and kissed her nipple gently, trailing his tongue over the peak. As he drew one nipple into his mouth he rubbed his thumb gently back and forth over the other. Her murmurings of his name only excited him further as she tangled her hands in his hair, drawing him closer. He traced patterns on her abdomen until he found the top of her undergarment. Slipping his hand inside he cupped her, and she cried out, writhing against his hand. He lay one finger between her folds and lifted his head from her breast so that he could watch her. Eyes closed and mouth open slightly she was breathing in short, quick gasps. Pressing his finger between her folds, he closed his eyes against the feeling of warm wetness there. He began to stroke her gently while he kissed her lips, neck and breasts. She pushed up against his hand, and he felt the tremor in her hips.

She opened her eyes to look at him with dilated pupils, "Please, now, I need…" she pleaded. He couldn't hold back any longer. Pulling back, he grasped her undergarment in both hands and pulled it down, ripping it a little on the way. Then, quickly removing his own undershorts, he entered her, pushing his hips against hers, sheathing himself completely within her. After just a few short thrusts he heard her cry out against his cheek. In just a few more erratic thrusts he found his own release and mouthed her shoulder to stifle his own cry. He held himself up for a moment on trembling arms so that he could kiss her once more and then started to fall to her side. He slipped and fell off the sofa on his back with a loud thump. Unable to move, he lay there panting.

Elsie sat up alarmed, "Charles, are you alright?"

Staring up at her, he said, "Yes, I just slipped."

"Is anything broken?"

"No; I don't think I landed on anything but the floor."

"I meant you."

"Oh, no, I think I'm alright. It's a little hard to tell just yet. That was wonderful."

"Well at least we were finished."

"Who said we were finished?" he asked with a leer.

"Well, I certainly…, and I thought you…" she said a little confused.

"I did, and I'm glad you did, but we've got over three hours before we have to be up and about," he said smiling, "We're most certainly not finished yet."

She smiled down at him, "Do you want to come up here or do you want me down there?"

Putting his hand on the sofa, he rose slowly and lay beside her with his back against the back of the sofa pulling her close.

"Elsie, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to kill me," he murmured against her neck.

"Charles Carson, after what you did tonight, I want you around for a very long time," she whispered fiercely pulling his arm tighter around her.

Smiling as he kissed her shoulder, he asked, "Is it safe to say I won round six?"

Laughing she turned to him and said, "Yes, but I'm almost ready for round seven."

Kissing her, he drew her closer against his chest as he tried to decide on his tactics for the next round.

**The End of the Beginning**

_**Reviews are welcome. I tried to make this scene a little funny. Hopefully you laughed at the right parts. I have a short scene in mind for an epilogue, but that's all.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue**

Elsie awoke to a scratchy feeling on her cheek. Opening her eyes, she saw that Charles had put on his very wrinkled shirt and trousers and was leaning over her to kiss her cheek. Smiling down at her, he said, "Good morning." Sitting up quickly, the blanket fell to her waist. Seeing that Charles' eyes were drawn lower, she decided not to attempt to cover herself.

"What time is it?" she asked with a sleep-thickened voice.

"Just going on 4 am. I thought we'd probably better be up and about," he answered smiling down at her breasts.

She glaced at her armchair and saw that he'd gathered her clothes and laid them neatly there. Rising, she started to get dressed. Charles sat on the sofa to watch her with a satisfied smile. Looking at him curiously, she asked, "Are you alright? How's your foot?"

"It's just a little sore, but I bandaged it before I put my shoes on," flexing his feet to emphasize his point, "My back is a little stiff from my fall, though, but I'm sure it'll work out as I move around a bit more."

She pulled her dress over her head, and he stood to help her with the buttons. Her breath catching at his faintly musky scent, she trembled just a little, "Charles, maybe you should just let me do this."

Grinning, he sat back down to watch. A little disconcerted at his perusal, she said with a rueful smile, "I'm sorry I seem to be a health risk for you."

"Oh, I don't mind. I think you're well worth the risk," he answered still smiling.

Finishing her buttons, she clutched at her dress and exclaimed, "My brooch. Is it still on the sofa?"

"No; I have it. It does look like it needs a little bit of attention. You can come by my pantry later on and get it," he said with a suspiciously smug smile.

She snorted, "Well, I suppose it would after having a great big man step on it. You're looking a little smug. You don't have anything planned, do you?"

"It's not my fault it was on the floor," he started indignantly and then remembering, "Well, not completely my fault. Elsie, you're too suspicious. Do we really need to continue playing games?" he said with a small smile.

"Not if you agree that I won round seven," she smiled as she put her second shoe on.

Standing and holding out his hand to help her rise, he laughed, "I thought we both won round seven, but if it'll keep the peace, I'll concede victory to you."

Stopping before opening the door, she turned to him and pulled his head down for a kiss, "Fine, no more games, but I certainly hope to see you again tonight."

"It would be my pleasure to oblige," he said before quickly kissing her behind her ear.

Walking up the back stairs together, they parted at the top to go to their separate rooms to get dressed in unwrinkled clothes.

The rest of the morning was busy, although Elsie reflected that the tension of the previous few days seemed to be relieved. For some reason, she found that she missed it. Their subtle, and not so subtle, flirting had been fun. Overall, she found that she was a little disappointed. Finally finding time to go to Charles' pantry after luncheon, she found him sitting at his desk.

Closing the door behind her, she walked over to lean against his desk beside his knees. He leaned back again and rubbed the outside of her leg gently with his knee, smiling up at her. She asked, "Do you have it?"

Deliberately obtuse, he asked, "What?"

"My luckenbooth, you silly man," she answered, a little exasperated.

"Ahhh! Yes; it's right here," and he removed it from his waistcoat pocket, "I had to straighten it just a little, and it did need a little polishing. Elsie, you must be careful not to wear it against your bare skin. The moisture will tarnish the silver. I think the spot you had it in last night would be best."

Smiling, she took it from him, "Would you like to put it there?"

He sat up a little straighter and glanced at the door. Walking over she clicked the lock and when she turned around, he was standing beside her. Bending down to kiss her, he undid just enough buttons on her dress so that he could pin the brooch to her shift. Then he kissed the skin at the hollow of her throat lightly before re-buttoning her dress.

She unlocked the door and had her hand on the doorknob, when he bent down to whisper in her ear, "Elsie, we could move the ink bottle from my desk so that we wouldn't overturn it."

Her breath caught in a soft gasp, and she looked up into his smirking face. He laughed softly and said, "Round eight to me!" and then opened his door to usher her out into the corridor.

**The End (for real this time).**

_**I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. I'm sorry to bore you all with the endless flirting, but I just can't get these two to stop. As always, reviews are welcome and feed my addiction.**_


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